Rare Terra Theatre celebrates the Chicago premiere of Wrong Mountain at The Second Stage, 3408 North Sheffield, September 13 – October 7. The witty black comedy, written by award-winning playwright David Hirson, is directed by Rare Terra’s Artistic Director Ian Streicher. Press Opening is Thursday, September 13 at 8 p.m. Regular performance dates and times are Thursdays – Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 7 p.m. Previews: Saturday, Sept. 8 at 8 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 9 at 7 p.m., and Tuesday, Sept. 11 and Wednesday, Sept. 12 at 8 p.m. Ticket prices range from $18 – $28 and can be purchased at www.rareterratheatre.com.

Wrong Mountain, a work from David Hirson, the award-winning playwright of La Bête, poses the question, “What if you’ve spent your life climbing the wrong mountain?” This wickedly subversive play focuses on the American definition of success. To win a bet with his ex-wife’s fiancée, tortured poet Henry Dennett enters a playwriting contest. Dennett becomes everything he despises when his play becomes a wild success. A brilliant, darkly comic exploration of the “creative process” and modern culture. Time Out New York describes the play as “unmistakably the work of an extremely bright, literate writer bursting with ideas. Wildly smart…the play grabs you and smacks you about, while providing you with no shortage of laughs. Fantastically sharp, witty and heated dialogue.”

Wrong Mountain features:

Richard Sandoval as Henry Dennett. Sandoval has appeared in productions at The Goodman Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre, A Red Orchid Theatre, among many others. A Red Orchid Ensemble member and Jeff Award Winner (Remy Bumppo’s The Best Man), Douglas Vickers is featured as Maurice Montessor, and Jeff Award winner, Sara Elizabeth Pavlak (Hubris Productions’ Agnes of God) is featured as Winnie.

The scenic designer is Roger Wykes, lighting designer is Frank Rose, costume designer is Emma Weber, projection designer is Laura Wiley and original music is composed by Jeffrey Levin.Playwright David Hirson was born in New York City and educated at Yale and Oxford. His plays have been produced on Broadway and internationally, receiving nominations for multiple Tony and Drama Desk Awards, and winning numerous honors including the John Gassner Award of the Outer Critics Circle, the New York Newsday/ George Oppenheimer Award, the Marton Prize of the Dramatists Guild, and London’s Laurence Olivier Award.

Ian Streicher and Guy Van Swearingen formed Rare Terra Theatre in 1989. Richard Sandoval and Dragan Torbica joined shortly after in 1990 and together they produced two plays, MASTER HAROLD … and the boys (1989) and Brecht’s How Much Is Your Iron? (1990), before going on to pursue separate opportunities. Sandoval, Streicher and Torbica have periodically participated in Mary Arrchie’s Woodstock Festival under the Rare Terra banner. Streicher moved to New York City, where he directed a number of new plays Off Off Broadway as well as the current Off Broadway production of The Sensational Josephine Baker. Van Swearingen went on to form A Red Orchid Theatre, where he served as artistic director for a number of years and continues to act and direct frequently. Last August, Streicher returned to Chicago to produce and direct A Beautiful Spell, Rare Terra’s first production in more than 20 years.

Wrong Mountain runs September 8 – October 7 at The Second Stage, 3408 North Sheffield. Press Opening is Thursday, September 13 at 8 p.m. Regular performance dates and times are Thursdays – Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 7 p.m. Previews: Saturday, Sept. 8 at 8 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 9 at 7 p.m., and Tuesday, Sept. 11 and Wednesday, Sept. 12 at 8 p.m. Ticket prices range from $18 – $28 and can be purchased at rareterratheatre.com.